Kandy doctor wants more

It is heartening to learn that many people islandwide, have pledged support. Schools in Kandy, through various activities, have donated Rs. 3. million. Prominent business houses have chipped in - up to a million bucks each, and, from Colombo, a great-hearted man, Deshamanya Lalith Kotelawela, Chairman of the Finance Company Limited and Ceylinco Consolidated, has given Rs. 15 million for the hospital's paediatric unit. 

Let's take the project as a whole - this is a Rs. 338 million project. It was pioneered by Dr. A.M.L. Beligaswatte when he was Director of the Kandy General Hospital. That was two years ago. It involves the building of Sri Lanka's largest nephrology unit; an armed services and police medical unit with 200 beds; and a special 100-bed paediatric unit where children can be warded for pre- and post-operative care. 

As Dr. Nihal says the nephrology unit alone will save the country over Rs. 36 million annually. About 10 patients go to India each month for treatment, each spending about Rs. 300,000. The new unit will serve patients islandwide. "It will have a modern modular operating theatre equipped to perform kidney transplants. We need to equip it with 18 dialyser units. Each unit costs 2.1 million rupees. Today, the National Hospital has only two such units and one of these is, I believe, non-functional. Even today, patients come from Colombo to Kandy for dialysis treatment." It is the building programme that suffers for lack of funds. Rs 100 million is needed - and needed yesterday! The unit for the armed services and the police is also of vital importance. " Kandy must be primed to serve our fighting men and the 200-bed unit must be completed fast," Dr. Nihal said. 

So he wants Rs 100 million.

This column pitches in with this special appeal. Every donation to make this a reality is tax-exempt and donations can be made through the National Health Development Fund of the Ministry of Health. Contact Dr. Nihal - Kandy General Hospital Development Fund (Tel: 08-222137, 233337, 233342 Fax: 08-233343) and also at People's Dispensary, No. 150, D.S.Senanayake Vidiya, Kandy. (Tel: 08-222368). 

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